


The Tale of Team Free Will

by kellicopter



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Action & Romance, Destiel - Freeform, Draw Me Like One of Your French Girls, Drawing, Florida, Gen, Humor, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Mermaids, Mermen, My First Destiel Fanfic, Ocean, Pictures, Sea Monsters, Slow Build Castiel/Dean Winchester, Team Free Will, Tentacle Monsters, What I Go To School For Exchange, Why Did I Write This?, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-10
Packaged: 2018-02-27 20:13:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2705207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kellicopter/pseuds/kellicopter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was the same dream again.</p><p>Dean knew what would happen. He was walking along a sandy beach. Clouds rolled in front of the moon, and the waves were crashing into the shore. He seems to be on some sort of hunt, as he had his Beretta and a silver dagger. Someone would call out his name, except it wasn't his real name. It was hard to explain. All of a sudden the waves would crash into him and pull him into the water. He would be surrounded by the thick black water, and be dragged down to god knows where.</p><p>Except this time it was different.</p><p>This time there was someone in the inky depths. They were the one calling to him, pleading with him to come home, where he belonged....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever fanfic! I got bored one night, and I liked how the plot turned out, so I kept typing away. I definitely got some inspiration from other fanfics of Supernatural/ Merfolk crossovers, but I decided to change quite a few things up. I love Supernatural and I love the concept of Merfolk, so why not have both!
> 
> Warning: This is a work in progress. There are probably still some grammatical errors that I've gotta find and fix. Chapter updates may take awhile, but I'll try my best, as writing is sorta a hobby for me at this point...
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! I'd love to hear some feedback; it would probably help motivate me to crank out chapters more quickly. 
> 
> *Also probably changing the title at some point, I couldn't think of anything good  
> **Also also there will be some Destiel action at some point, so don't fret!  
> ***Fun Fact: The pistol/ handgun mentioned (Beretta) is a brand of firearm that I use to refer to the weapon used by Sam and Dean. The Beretta M9 is the official handgun of the U.S. Military. It is a semiauto combat pistol (super fun to shoot, try to go pistol shooting if you ever get the chance).

Chapter 1: Piscean

It was the same dream again.

Dean knew what would happen. He was walking along a sandy beach. Clouds rolled in front of the moon, and the waves were crashing into the shore. He seems to be on some sort of hunt, as he had his Beretta and a silver dagger. Someone would call out his name, except it wasn’t his real name. It was hard to explain. All of a sudden the waves would crash into him and pull him into the water. He would be surrounded by the thick black water, and be dragged down to god knows where.

Except this time it was different.

This time there was someone in the inky depths. They were the one calling to him, pleading with him to come home, where he belonged. Lights danced in front of his eyes, and flashes of fluorescent colors swept around him. All of a sudden Dean was paralyzed, and an extreme pain shot through his legs. He tried to swim back up, but he could not move, he could not breathe.

Dean cried out and shot up, gasping and drenched in sweat.

“Dean!!” Sam called out, whipping his handgun out from under his pillow and aiming it at the hotel door. “What is it!?”

Dean gasped again, trying to calm himself. “Just a dream, its fine Sam….”

Sam relaxed and released a sigh. He set the Beretta down on the sheets and examined his older brother. He was shaking and his fists were clenched.

“What happened? Was it the same dream?”

“Ugh, yeah….”

“Uh, would you like to elaborate?”

“Sam its fine, don’t worry about it. Same dream, I guess I just kinda freaked out this time.”

“You know you can talk to me about this shit. I was the one with the premonitions and psychic powers back in the day. I think I can relate. Maybe we should drop this case?”

Dean groaned and went over to the fridge. He yanked to door open and grabbed the half empty fifth of Jameson. He took a few swigs to calm his nerves.

“No, we are not dropping the case, end of discussion. We can’t bail out on Bobby this time. Plus, the weathers not too shabby down here in the Sunshine State. Hot girls, bars up the wazoo, beaches…”

“Beaches. We are staying away from those.” Sam got up and went to turn the laptop on. “I think something bad is happening in your dreams. I say we avoid the problem all-together and just get out of here.”

“That’s not going to happen.” Dean huffed as he plopped down in the chair across from Sam.

Sam glared at Dean.

“Whatever. I swear though, if anything fishy starts to go down, we are done. Besides the case of course. Speaking of which… Get this.”

Sam flipped the laptop around to face Dean. A local news article described the death of a young man. He was found in a residential pool last night, completely gutted and peppered with stab wounds. It was the fifth time this had happened in two weeks, same exact cause of death.

“Soooo, Freddy Kruger werewolf thingy?”

“Bobby was saying that this could be some sort of new monster. The deaths of all the vics are the same, all found in different residential pools. The wounds and gutting are too precise for a serial killer. This may be something that we have never seen before Dean.”

“Allrighty, might as well get an early start to the day, since we are up already. Let’s go check out the morgue for now, and go talk to the families later. And if we have time, hit up a few bars, check out the casinos…”

“As soon as we get to the bottom of this. Work first, and then we can take a break.”

“Fine, Bitch.”

“Jerk.”

Dean chuckled as he slung his ruck over his shoulder. His brother was always able to cheer him up, even with that dream still wracking through his thoughts. It was probably nothing.

*****

Sam and Dean simultaneously slumped down into the Impala’s seats. Dean cranked up the radio, Gasoline Alley blaring from the speakers. After a full day of investigation, they were no closer to solving this case then before. The families of the victims were not able to provide any pertinent information.

Except for one lead…

“Sammy, you know what this means, heh heh!”

“Figures… Okay, listen Dean. Let’s get out of the fed suits, find this bar, and see if we can find anything interesting.”

“Sounds just fine to me!”

All of the victim’s families had said that they were last known to be at the _Coconut Club Beach House_ the night of their murders. They were all found the next day, mutilated and floating in their family’s or relative’s pools. All of the young men had been fairly attractive, 20-25 years old, and were hanging out at said bar before their demise. They were all single as well.

Dean snorted “Makes ya think. You fit the bill, pretty boy.”

The Impala rumbled up the hotel. Dean switched off the ignition and jumped out of the car.

Sam huffed, leaning his tall frame out of the passenger seat and smirked. “Yeah, too bad I’m 27 now, stupid.”

“Close enough.” Dean slipped on a pair of his nicer jeans and buttoned up a burgundy shirt. “You can be the bait for this thing, I’ll guard the bar. And the women.”

Sam snorted in annoyance and quickly buttoned up his white shirt and slipped on his brown leather loafers. He grabbed the keys and dashed to the impala. “Well if that’s the case, I get to drive.”

“What! No way dude, I gotta look good for the ladies!”

“Nope.” Sam hopped in the driver’s seat and slammed the door.

Dean grabbed the ruck full of knives, shotguns, and ammo and tossed it into the trunk. They brought everything, even salt. They had no idea what they could potentially be dealing with here so they were going to be prepared for whatever the hell it was. He briskly walked to the passenger’s side and jumped into the car.

“Lets get going then, Prince Charming.”

“Ha ha that’s hilarious, Dean.” Sam revved up the engine, backed out of the parking lot, and turned down the now neon light filled street. The sunset was beginning to fade on the oceans horizon, and the nightlife was intensifying. A distant flashing neon sign read _Coconut Club Beach House_.

“There’s our club.” Sam turned into the parking lot.

Dean was ecstatic. He jumped out of the car and ran to the front of the club.

“Geez, hold on a sec man!” Sam stuffed a silver dagger behind his belt, grabbed a box of ammo, and quickly shoved his Beretta into the holster behind his back. “You got everything?”

“Relax Sammy, we haven’t been to a legit club in awhile!” Dean leaned up against a palm tree as two women quickly walked by in their mini-skirts and heels.

“Helllllooo ladies.” Dean seductively winked and flexed his arm against the tree. They giggled as they walked up to the bouncer. “Hurry up man!”

Sam sprinted over to Dean. “Ugh, you got your pistol? Ammo? Dagger….”

“Yeah yeah…”

“Seriously Dean, don’t let your guard down here. There’s a good chance that we’ll see this thing tonight. We’ve gotta keep out eye open for any younger guys and…”

“Sam, I got it.” They walked up to the bouncer.

“Names?” The bouncer held the guest list, pen at the ready.

“Actually…” Sam and Dean simultaneously flipped open their false FBI badges “federal agents. Just checking the place to make sure everything’s legal”

“I wasn’t informed about this.” The bouncer crossed his hulking arms.

“Of course not, it’s a surprise inspection. You think we give a heads up to any suspicious establishments?” Dean exclaimed. Sam lifted an eyebrow in defiance.

“Well…” The bouncer moved out of the doorway. Sam and Dean quickly scooted through.

“Thank you for your time! Have a great night!” Sam yelled as he quickly pushed Dean into the thronging crowd.

“Ha, sucker!” Dean laughed. They headed over to the bustling bar and ordered a few shots. Sam craned his neck around to try and find any potential victims, while Dean downed the shots and started flirting with a nearby woman.

“Hey Dean, check that out.” Sam noticed an interesting sight through the flashing strobe lights and mob of partiers.

“Sam, I’m a little busy right now…” Dean had proceeded to migrate toward the dance floor with his new lady friend. “I’ll be back in a sec!” He grabbed the woman around the waist and disappeared into the mob.

“Wow, thanks…” Sam rolled his eyes and looked back over to the unfolding scene. A young man, probably 21 or 22, was completely toasted and out of his mind in one of the booths. An older man in a suit, probably in his 30’s, seemed to be giving him a hard time. Two women also sat in the booth. All of a sudden the younger man passed out. One of the women got up and left. The older man looked around quick, then proceeded to grab the man, put his arm over his shoulders, and walked him out one of the side doors. The other woman followed behind, constantly checking behind her shoulders. She made eye contact with Sam, and quickly shoved the two men out of the door.

“Dean!” He was nowhere to be seen. He would disappear at a time like this, that asshole. Sam downed his shot and ran to the door, pushing through the crowd. He burst through the door, but the trio was nowhere to be seen.

“Well shit.”

Sam heard a scuffling on the west side of the back alley. He pulled out the hand gun and ran alongside the building. He reached the corner, steadied his grip on the Beretta, and whipped himself around the corner. The women gasped, and the older suit man dropped the unconscious younger man onto the asphalt.

“What the hell do you want!?” The suit man yelled.

“GET DOWN!” Sam roared. “I’m the one asking questions here! What are you?!”

The woman screeched, and the now shaking man got down on his knees.

“What do you want?! My wallet? Here, take it!” The man threw his wallet at Sam.

Sam kicked the wallet back to the suit man. “What are you doing with that guy? Gonna do some sick ritual with him? Stab and gut him like the others?”

“What?” The woman was bawling her eyes out and clutching onto the suit man. “What the fuck?! This is my brother!” He tilted his head to the man sprawled out on the ground. “We took him out for his 21st, and he had way to much booze and got shit faced! My wife and I are trying to get him home and…”

“I.D.s. Let me see your I.D.s.” Sam held out his hand, but he slowly lowered the weapon. Shit, was this just some random dude?

The man scrabbled through his wallet, and pulled the unconscious man’s I.D. out of his back pocket. He shakily held out the two drivers licenses to Sam.

Sam whipped them out of the man’s hand. Scott and Jeremy Johnson. Great. He threw the drivers licenses at the man.

“Get the hell out of here.” Sam pointed the hand gun back at the guy. They quickly picked up the unconscious brother and hobbled down the street, the woman still crying.

“Well that was embarrassing.” Sam sighed. He’d better get back to the club and continue looking for this thing. It was probably already gone. God knows what Dean was up to. Sam jogged back to the door, which he left propped open. He slipped back into the crazy flashing lights of the club, and scooted over to the bar. Dean was nowhere in sight. He would have stayed in the club, no doubt about that.

Sam called over the bartender. “Hey, have you seen a guy in a red shirt and jeans? He had like, 9 shots…”

“Oh yeah, um, he left like 7 minutes ago. He kind got all tipsy and some guy led him out the back door.”

“What…” Shit. What if the monster had gone after Dean? He was 30, but… “What did the guy look like?!”

“Jeans, grey dress top, blonde, weird eyes… they were like, glowing. Maybe it was just the lights or something.”

*****

Dean’s head was splitting. He wasn’t sure where weird ass blonde dude had taken him, but he managed to bind and gag him in the process. Dean was just minding his own business, partying with that hot girl, occasionally looking out for any suspicious activity, and then this dude shows up. Dean had spun around mid-dance move only to run into the blond, tan man. He was dressed sharply, with dark jeans, white v-neck, and a gray suit jacket. He had grabbed Dean’s arm, and a sharp pain shot through his body. Dean yelped and took a step back, brandishing his pistol in the process. The girl he had been dancing with screeched and ran off into the crowd. The flashing lights and people began to blur together, and the man grabbed Dean’s arm and lead him towards the back door. He thought the man’s eyes had flashed a fluorescent yellow…

And that was it.

Dean had woken up in some sort of warehouse, chained to the ceiling. He was near the ocean, since he could hear the waves, and sand was all over the floor. Dean struggled against the chains, but it was useless. The room began to spin with his struggle. He still must be drugged up with whatever the dude had shot him with. Could this potentially be the killer that he and Sam where looking for?

“Well well, if it isn’t _thee_ Dean Winchester,” A chilling voice proclaimed from behind “so good to finally meet you.”

Dean spun around in surprise, only to find creepy blond dude. His eyes were definitely glowing yellow this time, and sharp fangs protruded from his upper lip.

“You have raised quite a bounty on yourself in the “monster” community. I actually can’t believe how easy it was to capture you. I tend to go for the younger ones, but I just couldn’t resist this time.” The man slid up to Dean’s side and caressed his jaw line. Dean squirmed in repulsion.

“I could turn you in to my higher ups for some extra cash…. But revenge is sooo much sweeter. Don’t you think?” The things eyes crinkled in joy as he threw his head back in a manic fit of laughter. “After all, your father killed my entire family. It’s only natural that I return the favor.”

Dean’s eyes widened in surprise. John had dealt with these monsters before? He wracked his brains with the memories of his father’s journal…

And then it hit him

_Bahamas, 1998. Recent deaths of young women and men have captured my attention. Gutted, and full of wounds. After 6 weeks, finally tracked the nest down. These were harpies: Can only be killed by stabbing with olive branch while under water. Very tricky, very smart, and strong. Take extreme caution while hunting. Live on ocean islands and knolls, go after young prey, 20-30 years old. One harpy managed to escape… something something something….._

Harpies. Well that was new. At least he knew how to kill this son of a bitch now, though he didn’t quite remember what the rest of the journal had said.

The harpy ripped Dean’s chain from the ceiling and ungagged him.

“Let’s go have a romantic dinner on the beach, shall we?”

“Go fuck yourself.” Dean spit on the monster

The harpy screeched when the spit wad hit him in the eyes. “You little shit! I’ll be sure to make the feeding process long and painful for you, and I’ll enjoy every second of it…”

“Uh, the what?”

“Wow, you Winchesters are a special kind of stupid, aren’t you? You do realize that I made all of those deaths obvious so I could lure you down to Florida.”

“Nope.” Dean had to stall as much as he could. He scanned the warehouse for anything that resembled an olive tree, or a branch for that matter.

“Basically, I’m going to liquefy your guts, impale you a hundred times, and suck the stuff out, while you’re still alive. It’s delicious.”

“That’s disgusting.” Dean struggled against the bindings.

The harpy cackled again and flung the door open. Dean blinked against the bright moonlight that hit his face.

Oh no.

This was the same exact scene that had played out in his dreams a hundred times before. The moon, the clouds, the beach. All the same, minus the harpy dude.

This is where Dean was going to die.

*****

Sam was really panicking now. It had been almost an hour since he had last seen Dean. He called all five of his cell phones: None of them answered. He had combed the entire area surrounding the club, and was unable to find any trails. Where the hell could he have gone?

Sam grabbed his shoulder length hair in frustration. He stormed onto the beach behind the club, and slumped down onto the sand. He stared out at the waves, trying to think of what to do next. Something was buzzing in his head, brushing against his thoughts…

And then it hit him.

Deans dream. The beach… this had to be the situation that was occurring in his dream. He had to be along the beach somewhere!

Sam jumped up. He knew that if he headed north, he would run deeper into the city, full of private clubs that had the beach closed off at night. If he went south, it would turn into industrial and residential areas. He had to have been taken south.

He sprinted down the beach, occasionally calling Dean’s name as he ran. Sam just prayed that he would reach Dean in time.

A man with dark hair and brilliant blue eyes appeared from the shadows, watching Sam as he ran down the beach. “Please hurry,” He whispered “your brother needs your help."

*****

The harpy dragged Dean onto the beach. Dean had given up struggling; this thing was way too strong. He scanned the beach for any possible weapons, and noticed a nearby pile of drift wood.

He yanked his hands out of the chains, which he had managed to free after he had woken up. He loosely wrapped the chains around his wrists so the monster wouldn’t notice. Dean sprinted at the driftwood, and managed to grab a stick before he was kicked squarely in the chest.

Dean flew into the air and skidded to a stop in the sand near the ocean’s edge. He gasped in pain and lights flashed in his eyes. He was lifted into the air by his neck. Dean clawed at the iron like vice of the harpy’s hand. The stick sat in the sand at his feet, which the harpy quickly kicked away.

“That was quite the escape attempt Dean…” the thing snarled in his face “I think that’s enough fun for one night.”

Dean was losing conscious. He couldn’t breathe, and the harpy’s fangs neared his face.

“DEAN!”

A shot was fired, and the harpy’s head was whiplashed to the side in a spray of blood. Dean fell back into the sand, gagging.

Sam ran as fast as he could through the sand. He had been jogging down the beach for about 10 minutes when he saw Dean and the thing at the edge of the ocean. The monster was choking Dean. Sam had whipped out the pistol and shot it in the head.

He skidded to Dean’s side. “You okay?!” Sam lifted him up out of the sand.

Dean pointed to a stick “Sam *cough cough* you gotta… stab it *cough* with a stick.”

The harpy stood up, rubbing at the bullet hole in its forehead. Sam lunged at the stick. He gripped it tight and faced the blonde suited man.

“What the hell are you!?” Sam took a step toward the man.

“Well, isn’t this perfect, both Winchesters at my disposal. You can be dessert Sam. Dean is my main course, so I suggest you let me finish him off.”

“Tough luck, creep.” The thing bolted at Sam, but he was ready. Sam punched it in the face and sent it sprawling into the ocean. Water splashed as it stood back up, screeching and bearing it’s fangs at Sam.

“Get it in *cough* the water!” Dean struggled back to his feet and ran to Sam, grabbing a stick along the way. “It’s a harpy. I remember reading about them in *cough* Dad’s journal.”

“Well shit, good thing I..” Sam stopped, and stared at the harpy. It shuddered, and tentacle like things sprung from its back, flailing in the air. “Uh, is that supposed to happen?” The harpy cackled.

“What the fuck, I don’t remember anything about that…”

Sam ran down the beach and into the ocean. He trudged through the water toward the harpy, stick at the ready.

“Sam, hold it!!” Dean shuddered: Something about this felt wrong.

Sam felt something slide up his leg. He glanced down to see a tentacle wrapped up his calf.

“Bad idea Sam, you’re in my element now!” The monster’s eyes burned and it snarled, pulling Sam under the waves in a split second.

“SAM!!” Dean sprinted into the ocean after his brother, who had disappeared. Something began to feel different though as he waded through the salty waves. Dean felt as though he would be able to defeat this monster…

The harpy lifted its tentacle out of the water, lifting an unconscious Sam out of the ocean. “Well, that was annoying.” He tossed Sam onto the beach. “Oh thank you for coming out here Dean, you saved me the trouble of having to chase you down, again.”

Dean stopped in his tracks. He felt full of energy and power all of a sudden, almost like it would boil over. He sensed something in the water, and stabbed it with the stick. The harpy yowled and pulled its tentacle back, which was dripping with blood.

How the hell had Dean done that? It was so dark that he could barely even see the damn thing, let alone its tentacles under water.

Dean looked back at Sam. He had no idea if he was unconscious or dead, and this son of a bitch was really starting to get on his nerves. He turned back to the harpy and lunged at it.

Except it wasn’t really a lunge.

Dean flew through the water, covering the 20 feet between him and the monster in a split second.

He reached the harpy, who was clearly in shock with Dean’s swift movements, and shoved the branch through its heart, snapping it's ribs in the process. The stick pierced through the harpy's back. Dean released the stick and took a step back.

The harpy gasped, grasping at the stick, but the damage was done. The tentacles withered and fell into the ocean. It glared at Dean with its yellow eyes.

“This… can’t be… possible……..a fucking Winchester is…… they should be…extinct.”

The harpy fell into the water, which began to boil and churn. After a few seconds, the monster was completely gone.

Dean let out a sigh of relief. He had no idea what just happened with how fast he had moved and with what the harpy was blabbering about. The case was done, the monster was dead, and everything could go back to normal for a few days, take a short vacation with Sam….

“Oh shit, Sam!” Dean whirled around and ran toward his brother.

And then the pain hit him like a freight train.

Dean fell into the ocean, completely immobilized. He splashed and writhed in the most excruciating pain he had ever felt. It was like being in hell all over again. He gasped and screamed, choking on the salty water, lights flashing in his eyes. It felt like his bones were being crushed and melted at the same time.

Dean focused on the pain, using it to make him concentrate on getting to shore before he ended up drowning. He dragged himself through the shallows. “SAM!!!” he screamed.

It felt like a thousand daggers were stabbing from inside his legs. Dean shuddered and screamed in pain, rolling onto his back. He gasped as a new barrage of pain hit him. His skin was being ripped from his body. The shallow water sloshed around him, and felt as though it were boiling him alive. Dean noticed a movement with his peripheral vision. Sam stirred.

Thank god, Dean thought.

And then he lost himself in the pain.

*****

Sam moaned, coughing up salt water in the process. The harpy had pulled him under, and held him there for at last 2 minutes before Sam blacked out. All of a sudden he heard the screaming.

“Dean!” Sam rolled over, spluttering and scanning the ocean for the harpy. It was nowhere to be seen.

“SAM!!!” Sam jumped back in surprise. Dean was literally 5 feet away from him, writhing in the shallows, gasping and clawing at the sand.

“Oh god, Dean, what’s going on?!”

Dean screamed bloody murder. His back arched, and all of his muscles cramped. Something was wrong with his legs…

Sam splashed into the water, trying to pull Dean out. The harpy must have poisoned him or something. Dean was thrashing around so wildly though that Sam couldn’t grab him. He kneeled down next to Dean, trying to figure out what to do.

And then Sam _really_ saw Dean’s legs, if you could call them that.

His pants were shredded, and his legs had elongated. They were slowly melting together. Tiny scales were sprouting up through his skin. His feet were flattening out…

“Shit.” Sam gasped as he noticed Dean’s hands. They were becoming webbed. Sharp spikes of bone were protruding through the skin at his hips. His teeth were forming into fangs.

Dean continued to scream, his eyes darting wildly. Sam sat by Dean’s side in horror. All of a sudden, Dean was still, waves lapping at his scale covered… tail?

“Dean!” Sam felt for a pulse on his neck. Where there should have been smooth skin, there were 3 slits, almost like gills. Dean still had a pulse, and an elevated one at that, but he was breathing and alive. Sam shook his shoulders in attempt to wake him, which was unsuccessful.

Sam sat there in disbelief. What the hell had happened to Dean? What was he supposed to do? Maybe he should call Bobby…

Dean coughed, moaning and rolling over in the shallow water, his shredded jeans floating away.

“Dean! Jesus Christ, are you okay?!” Sam helped Dean into a sitting position. Dean moaned again and rubbed at his eyes.

“Ugh, yeah. I killed that harpy. It was weird though Sammy. He said something about us, and then I must have been poisoned by the thing or something because it really fucking hurt… oh geez, and I thought you were dead…”

“Dean…”

“He musta punched me in the mouth, my teeth feel weird…”

“DEAN! Look at your fucking legs!!”

Dean glanced down at the shimmering golden brown scales in the water. They were beautiful, flashing with hints of green in different shades and sparkling with golden specks.

“Oh that’s cool, where’d that come from?”

“That’s your legs, er, tail…”

“What are you talking about? My legs are right here…” Dean hefted the massive tail out of the water, hip fins flaring out at the effort. Dean stared at the draping tail fin.

“Uh, Sam…”

“Dean, I basically just watched you turn into… um, a… mermaid??”

Dean snorted “Mer _man_. You are not going to call me a fucking _mermaid_ in this situation. Besides, it was probably some curse or something from the harpy. We can fix it.” Dean had a feeling that this was bullshit though. There was something bigger going on here. This whole situation had been in his dream. Except for the person calling his name…

Sam stood up, wringing his soaked shirt and throwing his shoes up onto the beach. “I don’t know, something just doesn’t add up. It feels… unrelated to the harpy or something, I don’t know.”

Dean twisted his tail around to prop himself up with. Oh fuck. His hands were webbed too. And his teeth were just…

“SAM!! I have fuckin’ fangs!” Dean groaned as he probed his sharp teeth with a webbed finger. “Well that’s just goddamn peachy…”

Dean continued to inspect himself while Sam trudged back onto the beach. “I’m gonna go get the car and call Bobby. Can you stay here for 10 minutes?”

Dean was picking at the large opaque greenish gold fins at his hips. “I’m good Sam,” Strangely, Dean felt great, better than he had felt earlier in the day “I’ll wait here.”

“Please make sure you stay hidden, I don’t need to go looking for you a second time tonight.” Sam ran back down the beach.

Dean decided to inspect the deeper water. He dragged himself through the shallows, splashing his tail to propel himself forward. He dove into the waves, kicking his tail as hard as he could. He flew through the water, going at least 30 miles an hour.

Dean gasped, and started to choke. He forgot that he was under water. All of a sudden, his necked tingled. Dean took a cautious breath. Cool water flowed down his throat and out of his neck. It felt amazing. He continued to swim through the churning black water, testing his new features out. He flew to the surface, jumping at least 10 feet out the water. He cannon-balled back into the ocean. Dean laughed. He felt….amazing.

He surfaced again to find Sam standing at the edge of the water. Dean swam over, dragging himself into the shallows.

“Couldn't get a hold of Bobby, he must be working a case. Let’s get you back to the hotel and figure something out there. Can you, uh, breathe?”

Dean instinctively flexed his neck, closing off the gills. He took a deep breath. “Yep, guess I can breathe water and air. Uhh, how do you plan on getting me back? I can’t exactly stroll around now…”

“I’ll just carry you. Put a blanket over you so no one sees the, uh, tail.” Sam knelt down next to Dean “Grab onto my back, I’ll carry you over to the car.”

Dean pushed off of the bottom with his tail, grabbing onto Sam’s shoulders. Sam grunted as he stood up, jostling Dean to get a better grip on his tail. “Holy shit man, you musta gained like 50 pounds.” Sam trudged up the beach, Dean’s tail fin dragging in the sand.

“Thanks for the fun fact, bitch. Of course I gained weight, my legs, er, tail is like 6 feet long.”

Sam walked around of the corner of the warehouse to where he had parked the Impala. “Uh, where do you want to sit?”

“Just put me in the passenger seat. Dean leaned down and opened the door for Sam. “Put a towel on the seat, I might scratch it up with these bad boys.” Dean flared his hip and back fins, careful to not poke Sam with the sharp spines. Sam grunted as he draped the towel over the seat.

“Ready?” Sam hefted Dean’s tail into the car, then leaned down and let him slide into the seat. Dean shifted around, twisting his tail so that the fin wasn't smashed into the floor. “Ugh, this sucks.” He grabbed the door and slammed it shut.

Sam grabbed a shirt out of the trunk, and walked over to the driver’s seat. He got in the car and handed the shirt to Dean. “You should probably put this on, you kinda shredded your shirt… and your jeans.”

Dean huffed and grabbed the shirt. He unbuttoned the red one that he was still wearing. The fin along his spine had torn through the shirt, along with the smaller spiked fins along his forearms. He flexed the fins flat and slid the shredded shirt off, throwing it in the back seat. He slipped the long-sleeved shirt over his head, careful not to snag it on any of the spines.

Sam started up the Impala and pulled out onto the highway, speeding back to the hotel which was about 3 minutes away.

“Dean?”

“What.”

“Are you doing okay? I mean, with the whole, uh…”

“Merman thing?” Dean sighed, shifting his cramped tail in the seat. “I don’t know Sam, I mean…. The thing is, I should be freaking out right now and flipping shit. I dunno…” Dean didn't say anything about all of this felt…. natural. “We’ll get this figured out. Bobby will find something.”

Sam pulled up to the hotel. He parked in front of the room, scanning the parking lot to check for any people. All clear. He walked over to Dean, and draped a blanket over his tail.

“Allright…” Sam leaned down and picked up Dean, grunting as he hefted Dean against his chest. Dean leaned down and covered the exposed part of the tail with the blanket. Sam kicked the car door shut and ran to the hotel door, flinging it open and dropping Dean on the bed. “God, you’re heavy…”

“Geez Sam, careful with the car!” Dean twisted around on the bed, swishing his tail in annoyance “and with me!”

Sam plopped down on the bed next to Dean, pulling his hair back with a groan. “Ugh, sorry.” He put his hands on his knees, staring at the floor. “So, now what?”

Dean sat up, scratching at his dried up hip fin. He felt kind of nauseous “Call Bobby again?” He reached over to the dresser and grabbed the cell, dialing Bobby’s work number.

The phone rang. “Mr. Carson of the FBI speaking…” A gruff voice proclaimed.

“Bobby, thank god,” Dean sighed. “We need your expertise on a certain subject.”

“Dean!” Bobby lightened up, jostling the phone on the other end. “Good to hear from you son! How’s that case going?”

“We finished it Bobby. It turned out to be a harpy…” Dean changed his position on the bed. His scales were becoming irritated and were itching. “It found us pretty quickly after we got down to Florida.”

“A harpy?! Shit, I haven’t heard about those bastards in a while. I thought they were all dead…” Dean remembered what the harpy had said about extinction. He was pretty sure that the monster was referring to him though, not itself.

“Yeah well, there was one left, and it sure put up one hell of a fight.” Dean put the cell on speaker, holding it out toward Sam. “I put you on speaker, Sam is here too.”

“Hi Bobby,” Sam cleared his throat “We've got a question for you…”

“Heya Sam! All right then, what is it?”

Sam looked at Dean, clearing his throat again. “Uh, do you know anything about…. mermaids?”

“Men.” Dean coughed.

The other end of the line was silent.

“Bobby? You still there?” Dean asked.

Bobby cleared his throat. “Mermaids? Uh, as far as I know, they don’t exist, at least not anymore. Why do you ask?”

“We think that we might be having an issue with one.” Sam said, staring at Dean’s tail. Dean whipped his head over to Sam, glaring at him. “Thanks bitch.”

“Well….” It sounded like Bobby was taking a swig of whiskey, ice clinking on the other end of the line “they apparently died out a couple hundred years ago.” The sounds of flipping pages ensued. “Uh, they were said to have magical powers and healing abilities. Some were said to save sailors or anyone drowning. They were thought to bring good luck to anyone who laid their eyes upon one….”

Sam snorted. Dean punched him on the shoulder.

“You okay?” Sounds of more flipping pages came from the other end.

Sam got back up and sat next to Dean. Dean had managed to make him fly off the bed. Dean mouthed _sorry_.

“Ouch… yeah. Anything else? Like um…”

“Well if you aim to kill one, you have to burn it, kinda like a Wendigo…” Dean squirmed on the bed, a look of disgust on his face. He was feeling really sick now.

Sam noticed Dean’s reaction. It made a pit form in his stomach. “Er, anything about, um, people being cursed? Like, uhhh, turning into one or something?” Sam chewed on his lip, knowing the question would sound suspicious.

Bobby was quite. “Is there something going on that I should know about?”

“Er,” Dean shifted his tail “we think a, uh, mer... _person_ may be uh, cursing people….. and turning them into…. merpeople.” Dean closed his eyes and slapped his forehead. He sounded like an idiot. Hopefully Bobby would fall for it. Sam rolled his eyes.

Bobby snorted “Well, I can’t seem to find anything about curses or whatever. It actually sounds like mermaids are…. _good_ , huh. Well that never happens in our line of work.”

Sam and Dean let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks Bobby.” said Sam. He reached for the phone.

Dean held his webbed hand up to Sam “One more question. What are these guys supposed to look like?”

“What do you think, idgit? A mermaid, ya know, from like _The Little Mermaid_.” Same snorted as he held back a laugh. “I gotta head out boys. Good job with the harpy. Keep me updated with this mermaid crap, whatever you end up finding.” Bobby hung up.

Sam rolled onto his back, laughing. Dean punched him again, more lightly this time though. Sam still fell off the bed. “Ouch, cut it out _Ariel_.”

Dean snarled at Sam. “Shut it, Samantha.” He was really uncomfortable now; his scales were itching like crazy. “Uh Sam? I think I've gotta get back in the water or something.”

Sam got up and went over to the bathroom. “How about the tub? It’s small, but it should work. He closed the drain and turned on the faucet. Sam walked over to the bed and sat next to Dean, staring at the golden tail. “So, no curse.” Sam looked Dean square in the eyes. “Dean, what’s _really_ going on? Your dream was foreshadowing this, wasn't it?”

Dean fidgeted with his scales. “Uhhh…” He looked up at Sam.

Someone called his name.

Dean jumped, looking around. “Did you just say my name?”

“No…” Sam raised an eyebrow at Dean.

Dean was confused. What the hell…

It called out again, ringing in his head. Dean knew whatever this was, it was calling him, but it wasn’t his actual name. Just like in the dream… shit.

“Sam, it’s happening. The other part of my dream, ugh…” Dean’s head buzzed. He felt like puking. The calling was intensifying.

“What are you talking about Dean?!” Sam grabbed onto his shoulders, holding him up. Dean moaned.

Someone knocked at the door.

Sam gasped in surprise. He let go of Dean and reached for his Beretta, flipping the safety off. He slunk over to the door, tightly gripping the pistol. He peered through the peephole. A man with blazing blue eyes stood outside. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt. His hair was black, and he had scruff on his face. He seemed to be anxious.

Sam recognized this guy, but he didn't remember from where….

“Who are you, and what do you want?” Sam noticed Dean lying on the bed. He looked like he was going to puke.

“Sam Winchester?” The man had a low husky voice. “My name is Castiel. I am here to help your brother Dean with his…. predicament. I know what happened to him, and I can tell you why.” He backed from the door, holding his hands out submissively “Please…”

“How can I trust you? I don’t even know who, or what the hell you even are.” Sam held the pistol against the door.

Something brushed against Sam’s mind. Sam instantly recognized it as this man _Castiel’s_ thoughts, the same thing he had felt earlier that night back at the club. He backed up in surprise, dropping the pistol. Sam knew that this meant no harm. He could trust him.

Sam rubbed his head and unbolted the door. He hesitantly grabbed the door handle, pausing.

( _Please…)_ the message rang in Sam’s head. He threw open the door. “How the hell…”

“There is no time for questioning on simple matters.” Castiel hurried over to Dean, slinging him over his shoulder easily. Dean groaned. “We must hurry; he has to be back in the ocean immediately.” Castiel ran out the door. “Please unlock your vehicle Sam.”

Sam stood there in shock. He quickly lapsed out of it though, grabbed the keys and his pistol, and ran out to the Impala. He unlocked it, and Castiel slid Dean into the back seat. Dean was shivering. Sam got in the driver’s seat, and Castiel slid into the passenger seat.

“Take a right turn down the highway. There is a secluded place approximately 15 miles away where we can place Dean without worry of intruders.”

Sam screeched out of the parking lot, barreling down the highway as fast as he could. He glanced over at the mysterious man.

“Who are you exactly?”

Castiel glanced at Sam. “I understand that you wish to have your questions answered, and all in due time.” He glanced back at Dean, who was gasping. “Your brother is sick, and we must concentrate on him as of right now.” He grabbed a bottle of water, pouring it into Dean’s mouth and over his neck and tail. “Take the next left turn Sam.”

Sam screeched around the corner, speeding down the gravel road. A moonlit cove appeared before him, full of rocks and sand. The Impala skidded to a halt. Castiel and Sam jumped out of the car. Castiel flung the door open, gingerly pulling Dean out of the back. Sam stood there, pacing. Would Dean be okay?

Castiel grasped onto Dean, holding him to his chest. He ran through the sand and halted to a stop at the edge of the ocean. He slipped his shoes off. “Sam,” Castiel called. Sam ran over to him. “Please hold Dean for a moment.” Dean was handed off to Sam. Sam felt Deans shivering frame, and grasped onto him. “Castiel, what…”

Castiel had proceeded to strip his pants off, along with his boxers. He pulled the t-shirt over his head, back muscles rippling. He reached over for Dean.

“Uhh…” Sam was shocked as he handed Dean to the now nude man. Castiel walked into the ocean, and stopped once the water was over his hips. He gently set Dean into the ocean’s waves. Dean was gasping loudly.

“Oh god, Dean…” Sam slipped his shoes off and began to wade into the ocean toward Castiel and Dean.

All of a sudden, Castiels back arched. He began breathing loudly, and a moan escaped his lips. Sam stood there as he saw spines protrude from his back. He thrashed around for a few seconds, and disappeared under water.

What the hell? “Castiel?” Dean was still floating in the water and appeared unconscious. Sam began wading toward Dean.

Castiel emerged from the water, black hair plastered to his forehead. “Don’t worry Sam, it is fine.” Castiel now had fangs, just like Dean’s. His neck gills flared, along with the spiked fin that spread the length of his spine. Sam gasped. He was…

“A merman, yes.” Castiel answered the question for him. “The correct term is Piscean.” Dean stirred in the water. Castiel turned to Dean.

Sam sloshed up to Dean’s side. Dean’s eyes fluttered open, and his tail swished in the water. “Sammy…”

Sam let out a sigh of relief. “Hey Dean, feeling better?” Dean churned the water with his tail, bringing himself to an upright position.

Dean still felt queasy. He remembered lying on the bed, the presence still in his head. He felt really sick…

Now he was in the ocean again. He suddenly noticed someone else in the water out of the corner of his eye. Dean whipped around, facing the person.

“Hello Dean.” The man said, exposing his fangs.

Dean shot backward, grabbing onto Sam’s arm “Who the…. What the hell?!”

“Relax Dean,” Sam twisted his arm free of Dean’s grip “This is Castiel; he pretty much saved you.”

Dean’s head buzzed with the strange calling again. All of a sudden, he understood.

“You…” Dean pointed to Castiel.

“Yes Dean. I am the one who called you. I am the one who sent you the dream.” Castiel churned the water with his tail, lifting the opaque black fin above the waves. Different shades of blue flashed with the movement of Castiel’s tail. He placed it back into the water. “I sent you the dream as a warning, so that you would not be as… alarmed, when the transformation occurred.”

“So, was this _transformation_ forced upon him?” Sam crossed his arms, glancing down at Dean.

“No. It is a natural occurrence. I was able to sense when Dean’s would occur. It is very easy to sense other Pisceans nowadays. Our species has become quite rare. The transformation can occur in a number of cases, in Dean’s case, stressed induced. It always occurs in the ocean, the salt water acts as sort of a catalyst….” Castiel looked up at Sam, “It is strange with you though Sam, I cannot seem to predict yours…”

“Uh, what?” Sam raised an eyebrow, concern on his face.

“You carry the gene as well. It was passed down to you and your brother from your mother.” Castiel treaded the water with his webbed hands “She did not realize what she was though. She never transformed, because she never went into the ocean. Some Pisceans go their whole life without having any idea of what they are. Some are born with the tail and some are born with legs, depending on the form of their mother.”

Sam and Dean stared at each other, expressions of shock on their faces. Dean turned back to Castiel, his face full of worry. “Is this,” Dean lifted his golden brown tail out of the water “reversible? Am I going to be like this for the rest of my life?”

“No, you can change back and forth between forms, though the process is quite painful…”

“Yeah, no fucking kidding.” Dean cringed at the memory of the transformation.

“It takes a large amount of practice and concentration, but it is possible.”

“He’s right Dean. He came to the hotel, and I thought he was just a normal guy at first.” Sam waded over to a nearby rock and pulled himself up on it. He was sort of nervous being in the water now. He had no desire to go through the pain that Dean went through.

Dean swam over to Castiel “Well, show me how to change back.” Dean was enjoying his new form, but he wasn't…. human. It felt wrong to him, especially since he had been hunting monsters his entire life.

“That is not possible Dean,” Castiel swam in circles, splashing his large black tail “You cannot change back for at least a month…”

“A MONTH!!!” Dean sunk into the water, moaning.

“Your body just underwent a massive genetic change. It needs to adjust. It is physically impossible to put your body through that type of bodily stress on a daily basis. Once you have adjusted, you can switch between forms every 5 days at the most.”

Castiel swam out to the deeper water “And don’t stay out of the water for more than an hour, you will get sick.”

“Well shit.” Dean splashed his tail across the surface of the water in frustration “How the hell am I supposed to hunt now?”

A whole month of this. What was he supposed to tell Bobby now? Dean slammed his tail into the ocean, spraying Sam with salt water.

“Ugh, thanks jerk.” Sam wiped his soaked hair out of his eyes.

What the hell was Sam supposed to do? Was he just going to leave while Dean spent a month in the ocean?

Unless…

“Sam,” Dean swam over to the rock. “Would you leave me while I am like this?”

“Of course not Dean. We can still work on cases. I’ll work from land, and we can meet up and, uh, figure out what to do? I dunno.”

“Well, what if you, uhhh, stayed…. In the ocean…. So I wouldn't have to worry about your defenseless ass all the time…”

“Dean. Are you implying that I…”

“Castiel said you have the gene. C’mon man, it’s not that bad!”

“No, not happening.” Sam scooted higher up onto the rock.

“It’d be fun!”

“No.”

Castiel swam over to Sam’s rock “Sam, the change is inevitable at this point. Honestly, I’m surprised that the transformation has not happened yet.”

“It’s WHAT!” Sam’s eyes widened in fear “What the hell, Dean we can’t do this! We can’t just disappear from the face of the earth and….”

Sam stumbled and fell off the rock, splashing into the water. He surfaced, spitting salt water out of his mouth “No way in hell!”

But as Sam stood there, he realized that he couldn't do that to Dean. He couldn't just abandon him in the ocean and stay on land, meeting up with him on the beach. It was too risky, and it wouldn't work out. Dean could not go through this alone. Besides, Castiel said that the change was inevitable. He would go through this with Dean, even if it meant that he wouldn't be… human.

Sam sighed and waded through the water over to Dean. The ocean seemed to be calming him down. He felt relaxed, but full of power at the same time. “Don’t worry Dean, I’ll stay with you.” He pinched his nose in disbelief. He couldn't believe he was doing this.

Dean looked up at Sam, a huge grin spreading across his face. His green eyes sparkled. “Thanks man.”

Sam stood there, pulling at the hair in his eyes. “So, uh, Castiel. How does this process work?” Nothing was happening.

Castiel was staring at Sam. His eyes darted to the side “Well, I don’t know how to, uhhh….”

Sam grimaced “What the hell?” Something was wrong.

All of a sudden, the pain was everything and everywhere. Sam screamed in agony.

Dean swam to his flailing brother, trying to pick him up “Sam! Cas, er, Castiel, is he…”

“Yes Dean, the transformation is happening. He accepted the fact that he is a Piscean. Help me get him to the shallows.”

Sam was choking on the water, writhing and flailing in a frenzy. Dean and Castiel gripped Sam’s arms as tight as they could, and dragged him into the shallows.

Dean sat in the water, watching in horror as his brother’s eyes darted wildly, gasping, wrenching his back in contorted fits. He felt horrible for asking Sam to do this…

“Do not worry Dean. Once the change is complete, he will realize what he is truly capable of. He will be happy.” Sam screamed. Castiel yanked off Sam’s clothing and threw it onto the beach.

Dean glanced at Sam’s legs, and gasped. They were stretching, melting together, becoming one sinuous muscle. Bones protruded from his toes, elongating, flattening, and becoming webbed. Scales began to form on Sam’s legs. Bones lengthened, skin stretched, Sam screamed.

And then it was done.

Sam lay in the shallows, gasping, his eyes squeezed shut. He took a few more deep breaths and slowly opened his eyes, groaning.

“Is it done? Ugh…” He moaned and rolled over, curling his tail up along his back.

Dean puffed out a sigh of relief. Sam was fine. He wouldn't be alone after all. He helped Sam up into a sitting position.

Castiel handed Sam something green “Eat this Sam, it will help with your stomach.” Sam lifted the piece of what appeared to be seaweed to his mouth, noticing that his fingers now had shimmering dark gray webbing between them, which glistened with a red tint. He took a bite and bit his lip with his now extremely sharp teeth. “Ouch.” Sam swallowed the seaweed, feeling much better.

“Well?” Dean leaned in front of Sam. “How are ya feeling?”

“Erm, actually, not bad.” Sam inspected his new tail “Wow, that’s actually kinda cool.”

His dark gray tail shimmered. Sam flexed it, noticing a deep red sparkle with the movement of his scales. Black specks glittered as he stretched his tail muscles, rippling under the scales. He lifted the large tail fin out of the water, fanning it out. It glistened red, and was at least 3 feet wide. His hip and arm fins were similarly webbed. He touched one of the fin spines, flinching as it pierced his skin “Ow.”

Dean laughed “Yeah, watch out for those.” Dean scanned the beach, noticing the Impala parked up by the gravel road. His stomach sank.

“Shit, what are we supposed to do with the Impala? Goddammit, we didn't think this through…”

“Well, it kinda was spur of the moment Dean. Speaking of which,” Sam turned to Castiel “how the hell did you not sense that coming?”

Castiel’s back fin flared. He was clearly offended. “It was a ruse Sam, of course I sensed it. I sensed it at the same time when I first sensed Dean’s transformation. I didn’t tell you because it would only make the situation more stressful for you.”

“Oh sorry.” Sam cleared his throat “So, the Impala…”

“Bobby.” Dean proclaimed, dragging himself up onto the beach “I’ll get the coordinates, text them to Bobby, tell him that we will be back in a month.” Dean reached the cell phone that Sam had thrown onto the beach.

The sun was beginning to rise, and Castiel seemed to be getting anxious. “Please hurry Dean. This beach may be secluded, but we do not need any people accidently setting their eyes upon us at this point…”

Dean quickly messaged Bobby, and set the cell down when he was finished. “Uh, what should we do with the clothes, kinda looks suspicious…”

“Hand them to me.” Castiel held his hands up. Dean threw the bundle of clothes to him. He darted out to a rock about 100 feet away from shore and stuffed it into a crevice.

While this was occurring, Sam began to drag himself into deeper water. He felt amazing now, better than he ever had felt before. He wanted to see why Dean was so excited about this. He began to kick his tail, propelling himself forward. He kicked harder, flying through the water.

It was exhilarating.

Sam instinctively flared the gills on his neck, taking a deep breath of the cool ocean water. It flowed through his gills, filling him with energy. Sam continued to fly underwater, careening around the rock formations, twisting and turning all the while. He sensed Dean’s presence as he entered the water. Sam waited until Dean was deep enough, and bolted toward him, tackling a startled Dean. The two brothers laughed, swimming in circles and splashing each other. Dean dove under water, Sam chasing after him.

Castiel smiled at these antics. He was relieved that he had been able to introduce the brothers to their new world. He gazed at the sunrise that lit up the horizon of the ocean in a glowing orange and red light. Castiel dove under the waves with a slap of his tail. Time to teach these two about the Pisceans: Their history, culture, and skills. It was about time that he visited the main colony anyways. It had been at least 7 years.

Castiel swam to the depths of the ocean, hopeful, for the first time in a long time.


	2. Pictures!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finals week is approaching for me, so I haven't really been able to write anything. I instead managed to procrastinate by drawing Cas, Sam, and Dean as merfolk. Didn't turn out too bad, considering the fact that I used engineering paper and 10+ year old markers.


End file.
